This research involved the exploration of how the
geographies of different crimes intersect with the geographies of
social, economic, and demographic characteristics in Nashville,
Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona. Violent crime data
were collected from all three cities for the years 1998 through
2002. The data were geo-coded and then aggregated to block groups and
census tracts. The data include variables on 28 different crimes,
numerous demographic variables taken from th... (more info)

This research involved the exploration of how the
geographies of different crimes intersect with the geographies of
social, economic, and demographic characteristics in Nashville,
Tennessee, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona. Violent crime data
were collected from all three cities for the years 1998 through
2002. The data were geo-coded and then aggregated to block groups and
census tracts. The data include variables on 28 different crimes,
numerous demographic variables taken from the 2000 Census, and several
land use variables.

The files are provided in a WinZip archive with 43
files in three folders. The Geographical Data folder provides provides
the Nashville, Portland, and Tucson data in geographic files for use
with mapping software. The Statistical Data folder provides the
Nashville, Portland, and Tucson data in SPSS for Windows 14.0 system
files. The Report Files folder contains the final report and a data
dictionary for use with the SPSS for Windows 14.0 system files.

Methodology

Study Purpose:
The purpose of the study was to explore how the
geographies of different crimes intersect with the geographies of
social, economic, and demographic characteristics in urban places and
to develop an understanding of the implications of specific contexts
of crime and the spatial relationships between those contexts.

Study Design:
This research examined violent crime data
collected from the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Portland
Police Bureau, and the Tucson and South Tucson Police Departments for
the years 1998 through 2002. The location and date of each crime was
collected, and the data were geo-coded and aggregated to block groups
and census tracts. Frequencies of crime for each category were
averaged over the five years in the study period to control for
anomalous years when there may have been an unexplained spike or fall
in crime. Rates were then calculated using the population figures
taken from 2000 Census data. Land use data for each city were obtained
from the Metro Nashville government, the Portland Metro government,
and the Pima County (AZ) Department of Transportation.

Sample:
Data are included for 445 block groups and 143 census
tracts in Nashville, 457 block groups and 160 census tracts in
Portland, and 427 block groups and 126 census tracts in Tucson

Weight:
none

Mode of Data Collection:
record abstracts

Data Source:

The crime data were collected from the records of the
Metro Nashville Police Department, the Portland Police Bureau, and the
Tucson and South Tucson Police Departments. Demographic information
for Nashville, Portland, and Tucson were collected from 2000 Census
data. Land use data for each city were collected from the Metro
Nashville government, the Portland Metro government, and the Pima
County Department of Transportation.

Description of Variables:
These data contain 28 crime variables including:
homicide, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary,
larceny, motor vehicle theft, other assaults, stolen property,
criminal damage, weapons, commercialized sex, sex offenses, narcotic
drug laws, offenses against family and children, driving under the
influence (DUI), liquor law, disorderly, and juvenile violations.
Several demographic variables are included, such as median family
income, percent of families with one parent and children under 18,
percent of the population over 25 with a college degree, percent of
the population living below the poverty level, percent of population
unemployed, percent of the population who are African American,
percent of the population who are Latino, percent of the population
under age 18, and percent of households with five or more members.
The data also include land use variables such as the percent of land
in commercial uses, the percent of land in high intensity multifamily
housing, and the percent of land in multiple land uses.